Vehicle wiper control device

Abstract

Automatic wiper control prohibiting means prohibits execution of automatic wiper control when vehicle stop detecting means detects that a vehicle is stopping and a masking object detecting part determines that a masking object is adhered to an outer surface of a window part. When the vehicle stop detecting means detects that the vehicle is stopping and a state of the masking object detecting part is changed from a state where the masking object detecting part detects that the masking object is adhered to the outer surface of the window part to a state where the masking object detecting part detects that the masking object is not adhered to the outer surface of the window part at a changing time, the automatic wiper control prohibiting means prohibits the execution of said automatic wiper control for a predetermined period of time from the changing time.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle wiper control device comprising:
 an actuator for generating a driving force to move a wiper capable of reciprocating while in contact with an outer surface of a window part that is made of a translucent material and a part of a vehicle; 
 a rain sensor, provided so as to face an inner surface of the window part, for emitting a light wave so as to make the light wave pass through the window part and detecting a raindrop by receiving a reflected light wave of the emitted light due to the raindrop located outside the window part; 
 a camera provided so as to face the inner surface of the window part and receive photographing light flux passing through a camera anterior area located on the outer surface of the window part and outside a sliding area of the wiper, and obtain imaging data based on the received photographing light flux; and 
 a control unit configured to:
 execute automatic wiper control that automatically activates the actuator when the raindrop is detected by the rain sensor; 
 determine whether a masking object is adhered to the camera anterior area outside the sliding area of the wiper based on the imaging data transmitted from the camera, which is a masking object sensor separated from the rain sensor; and 
 prohibit execution of the automatic wiper control when the masking object is determined to be adhered to the camera anterior area and when the vehicle stops running, wherein
 the vehicle stops running when the vehicle is not moving or the vehicle speed is zero, and 
 the execution of the automatic wiper control is prohibited for a predetermined period of time from a changing time, the changing time being a time at which the masking object, which has been determined to be adhered to the camera anterior area, is then determined to not be adhered to the camera anterior area. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle wiper control device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an occupant detection sensor for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in each of a driver seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle, 
 wherein the control unit is further configured to prohibit the execution of the automatic wiper control only when the occupant detection sensor detects that no occupant is seated in at least one of the driver seat and the passenger seat of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       3. The vehicle wiper control device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an occupant detection sensor for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in each of a driver seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle, 
 wherein the control unit is further configured to prohibit the execution of the automatic wiper control only when the occupant detection sensor detects that no occupants are seated in both the driver seat and the passenger seat of the vehicle.